First wheelchair tour launched at Machu Picchu Posted on 24 April 2019 Tags:accessible travel, Machu Picchu, wheelchair access, World Heritage Site For the first time in its 5,000-year-long life, Machu Picchu is totally accessible to visitors who use a wheelchair – and they don’t even need to bring it to the ancient city themselves. Wheel the World tour company provides visitors with foldable, light-weight wheelchairs that can traverse the steps, slopes and rugged terrain of the World Heritage Site. View this post on Instagram "Les agradezco a todos. Fue el sueño de mi mamá visitar Machu Picchu y se le hizo realidad por la ayuda de ustedes." . . . “I want to thank you all. It was my mom's dream to visit Machu Picchu and it came true because of you! ." #explorasinlimites #machupicchu #wheelchairtravel #diability #travelphotography #peru A post shared by Wheel the World (@wheeltheworld) on Apr 22, 2019 at 2:05pm PDT View this post on Instagram Machu Picchu, For some people is a sacred place. For others a wonder of the world. For us, a place everyone should visit! Travel with us and be part of this community that empowers people of all abilities to explore without limits. #explorewithoutlimits #wheeltheworld A post shared by Wheel the World (@wheeltheworld) on Dec 26, 2018 at 2:54pm PST The wheelchairs are stored on the premises so that visitors need not ship their own equipment to the site, cutting out cost and effort. They are described by the founders of the company as resembling a wheelbarrow. The wheelchairs aren’t self-propelled but can tackle tough terrain, and the company’s assistants and guides operate and direct them. https://www.instagram.com/p/BP-RXStj1ED/ View this post on Instagram Si en esta foto se ve increíble, imagínate cómo es explorar el valle de Cochamó a través del sendero internacional de El Paso del León. ¡❤️si te gustaría disfrutar este hermoso destino! A post shared by Wheel the World (@wheeltheworld) on Dec 21, 2018 at 1:52pm PST The tours range from a day trip to the site which costs R5,700 to a six-day trip with 4-star hotel accommodation that costs R41,000. The inspiration for the tour company was a hike two Chilean friends embarked on in 2016. Alvaro Silberstein used online crowd-funding to pay for a special foldable wheelchair, and together with his best friend Camilo Navarro he conquered Patagonia’s Torres de Paine National Park. They went on to study business together at the University of California, Berkley, and founded Wheel the World. https://www.instagram.com/p/BPI6aDQjUrb/ ‘There are one billion people [in the world] with disabilities,’ Navarro told CNN. ‘But there’s not one main travel company dedicated to these users.’ They run tours in Chile, Mexico, the United States, Tanzania and Peru. Machu Picchu is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is perched in the Andes mountains at an elevation of over 2,000 metres – it is more than double the height of Table Mountain. The city was built by the Inca empire about 500 years ago. It can be accessed by hiking the four-day Inca Trail, or through the visitors centre accessed by bus or train. Feature Image: Wheel the World/Facebook. Related Posts Cape Town’s sustainability: Leading the way in environmental initiatives 1 June 2023 As National Environmental Month commences in South Africa, Cape Town stands proudly at the forefront... read more Kapama to host Safari Guide of the Year Awards 2023 1 June 2023 Kapama Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit will host this year’s Safari Guide of the Year... read more Blood Lions relaunches for public viewing on YouTube 1 June 2023 Award-winning documentary feature film Blood Lions has been relaunched on YouTube for public viewing, creating... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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